Powerful Grabbing With The Iron Hand

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:12

Hands are involved in almost everything that people do - from brushing their teeth in the morning to working during the day to preparing dinner. Impaired hand function can therefore have serious consequences both at work and at home.

Bioservo Technologies AB, a Swedish technology and development company, is committed to producing bionic, energizing products for people with reduced muscle strength or additional strength requirements. The latest development is the so-called iron hand. It combines medical know-how, robot and computer technology. The Swedes found a suitable drive solution for this at Eichenberger Thread Ltd.

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The Ironhand is based on the Soft Extra Muscle (SEM) technology and was launched on the market in 2019. The modular system consists of a glove that covers five fingers and a drive system. Pressure sensors integrated in the power hand control servomotors that are located in the device. This gives the wearer a particularly strong grip. The portable control unit is carried as a backpack. It can increase the grip strength of the wearer by up to 80 N within milliseconds.

Five cold rolled ball screws

Five electrically driven, cold-rolled ball screws from Eichenberger are used in the kit. They convert the rotary movement of the small servomotors into a linear movement. According to the company, the efficiency of 94% ensures optimal drive performance.

The specialists at Eichenberger developed the lead screw solution together with the Bioservo team. The Swedish company is active in the field of soft exoskeletons and motor support and focuses primarily on the hand and other extremities of the upper body. The idea behind the Ironhand was to develop a glove that can help prevent stress injuries, rehabilitate and support people in their daily activities at home or at work. In particular, working people with weak hands who have to deal with intensive work tasks can be supported. Pain in everyday work and absenteeism due to illness should be prevented in this way.

This is how the iron hand works

The function of Ironhand is similar to that of our hands. A handle is usually initiated by the muscles of the forearm and hand. These muscles pull the tendons that come from the five fingers. Ironhand works the same way: the pressure-sensitive sensors in the fingertips of the glove detect when the user takes hold of an object. A microcomputer calculates the power required. Servomotors drive five filigree ball screws 5 mm x 2 mm (Ø 5 mm, pitch 2 mm). These are connected to the fingers of the glove by thin wire tendons. The fine connections move the fingers and the additional force is generated by the slim glove. The higher the pressure on the sensors, the more power the glove delivers.

The Ironhand recognizes exactly how firmly the user is gripping an object and adjusts the gripping movement intuitively and automatically.

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Screw drives for high accuracy in small strokes

Small installation space is often a challenge when there is a high load. Noiseless movements in the smallest of spaces are required. Bioservo also describes the requirements for the mechanical drive elements in the specifications. High positioning accuracy with the smallest strokes and high dynamics in continuous use must be mastered. The focus is on security and reliability. The maintenance intervals, the service life and not least the costs play a major role.

With an individual design or special manufacturing process, Eichenberger Thread AG can adapt its products to the application. The cold-formed, inductively hardened Ironhand ball screws bring speed, precision and minimal installation space under one roof. In addition, the previously mentioned pitch ratio of the spindle increases the efficiency of the movement. Ultimately, the five ball screws with three sophisticated single-gear returns built into the nut also impress with their low weight and increase the cost-effectiveness of the overall solution.

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